Management and protection of water resources around the world is becoming critically important. Overuse and contamination combined with increasing water demand are diminishing the quantity and quality of water available for human use. It has been estimated that by year 2025, over 35% of the world population will face chronic water shortage problems. As a result, it is imperative that water resources are developed and managed in a sustainable and equitable manner.
Adverse environmental impacts like aquifer overdraft, saltwater intrusion, wetlands dewatering, stream flow depletion, and spreading of groundwater contamination are often consequences of improperly managed systems. Accurate prediction of the system states under variable control (e.g. pumping and injection rates) and random (e.g. precipitation and temperature) variables can help ameliorate many of these environmental problems. In addition, optimization can be applied to utilize the resource in the most cost-effective manner while ensuring sustainability.